2/28 Catfish, planetary parade, WA budget, night tidepooling, BC forest plans, first 100 days, week in review

 

Channel catfish

Channel catfish Ictalurus punctatus
Channel catfish are one of several species from the catfish family that occur in Washington and are probably the most popular because of the large size they can attain and they are considered excellent eating. Channel catfish are the only established catfish species in Washington with a forked tail. The three species of bullhead catfish (brown, yellow, and black) occurring in Washington have a lobed tail. Channel catfish average 16-24 inches in the 2-5 years post stocking. Some individuals will live 15-20 years, grow over 30 inches in length and weigh in excess of 30 pounds. (WDFW)

Today's top story in Salish Current: Bellingham taps Orcas glass sand

Planetary parade: Mercury falls into line for rare seven-planet alignment
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune lined up horizontally in a ‘planetary parade’. The seven will appear to form a straight line in the night sky in display that won’t be seen again until 2040. (The Guardian)

Ferguson proposes $4B in cuts to Washington state budget
The governor has also embraced $3 billion in savings put forward by former Gov. Jay Inslee as state officials look to solve a shortfall estimated to be $12 billion or more. Jake Goldstein-Street and Bill Lucia report. (Washington State Standard)

A different kind of winter fun: tidepooling at night on Puget Sound
Some activities can only be done in certain seasons, but tidepooling is enjoyable year-round – if you don’t mind the cold and the dark. In winter, the Pacific Northwest’s lowest tides come at night. John Ryan reports. (KUOW)

Inside the Province’s New Plans for BC’s Forests
Early in the pandemic, as protests at Fairy Creek were beginning to brew, B.C. made a bold promise: it was embarking on a “paradigm shift” that would prioritize healthy ecosystems over harvesting trees. Zoe Yunker reports. (The Tyee)

The First 100 Days

• ICE awards $1B contract to private prison firm for major immigrant detention center (News From The States)
  
• U.S. Terminates Funding for Polio, H.I.V., Malaria and Nutrition Programs Around the World (NY Times)
  
• Hundreds of weather forecasters and NOAA staff fired in DOGE cuts (Associated Press)
  
• Trump to sign order Friday designating English as the official language of the US (Associated Press)
  

Salish Sea News Week in Review 2/28/25: Skip the straw, BC water, US DEI, biochar, savior fish, bird flu, peregrine falcon, BP reset, endangerment finding, price of eggs.

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Here's your weekend tug weather—
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-  244 AM PST Fri Feb 28 2025  
TODAY  E wind around 5 kt. Seas 4 to 6 ft. Wave Detail: W 5 ft  at 12 seconds. Patchy fog until late afternoon.  
TONIGHT  SE wind around 5 kt. Seas 3 to 5 ft, building to 5 to  8 ft after midnight. Wave Detail: W 5 ft at 14 seconds and W 8 ft  at 20 seconds. A chance of showers after midnight.
SAT  SE wind around 5 kt, veering to W in the afternoon. Seas  7 to 10 ft. Wave Detail: W 10 ft at 18 seconds. A chance of  showers in the morning, then showers likely in the afternoon.  
SAT NIGHT  W wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 7 to 10 ft. Wave Detail:  W 10 ft at 16 seconds. Showers likely. 
SUN  W wind 5 to 10 kt. Seas 5 to 7 ft. Wave Detail: W 7 ft at  14 seconds. Showers likely, mainly in the morning.

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"Salish Sea News & Weather" is compiled as a community service by Mike Sato. It is included as a daily feature in the Salish Current newsletter. Click here to subscribe. Questions? Email msato(at)salishseacom.com. Your email information is never shared and you can unsubscribe at any time.



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